How to Delay and Block Manda­to­ry Soft­ware Updates in Win­dows 10

10 Aug 2015

Windows 10 has mandatory updates. Because, and I’m not being sarcastic, updates are good for your computer. Most of them are important security updates and with new exploits in the wild every week, prompt updates are more important than ever. And this time, Windows is being smart about it. It will automatically download the updates but will only install it at times you’re not using the computer – say 3 AM.

While security updates are great, not all updates are made equal. Driver updates sometimes damage your work or are buggy. Plus, you might be using a limited internet connection and you just can’t afford to download a couple hundred MBs of updates every now and then. In times like these, there are ways to basically delay or block specific updates. But if you’re running the Home edition of Windows 10 you can’t disable Windows 10 updates forever (for Pro edition users, there’s a solution).

Fake It with Metered Connection

When you mark a connection as “metered”, Windows thinks it’s not broadband connection – maybe you’re tethering from your phone or you’re on a limited internet connection. Metered connection means Windows will delay downloading and installing updates when connected to that network.

But here’s the problem, I was only able to find this setting when I enabled Wi-Fi. If you’re using Ethernet, there’s no way to fool Microsoft. They know you’re on an able bodied network to download updates from. For desktop users, you’ll need to take more drastic measures, as described below.

Disable Updates Using the Troubleshooter

Microsoft itself offers a utility to disable Windows 10 updates. The utility’s main use is to prevent installation of drivers that might be problematic to a person’s Windows 10 system. It happens more often than you’d like. But in the same tool, Microsoft offers an option to disable the mandatory Windows 10 security updates.

Download the file from here. As it’s a “troubleshooter”, you’ll need to click the “Run” button and it will scan for problems. Then it will show two options – Hide updates and Show hidden updates.

Below, you’ll see a drop-down menu labeled Configure automatic updating. In there switch to Notify for download and notify for install.

How’s Your Windows 10 Experience?

Have you encountered any bugs so far? Any huge problems or deal breakers? Share with us in the comments below.

Last updated on 8 Feb, 2018
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